Illinois hosts one of the largest international student populations in the nation, ranking fifth, with more than 55,000 international students, according to a 2024 Open Doors report.

The business and law schools at the University of Chicago and Northwestern were each ranked among the best in the country according to a new list from U.S. News & World Report, which looked at the nation’s best grad school programs of 2025.

Fermilab received near-failing federal grades in its annual report card following a tumultuous year of budget mismanagement, safety concerns and leadership turnover. Whistleblower reports highlighted serious problems at the premier physics facility before its management contractor took over in January.

The U.S. Education Department last week said it was investigating dozens of universities for alleged racial discrimination, citing ties to the nonprofit organization.

UChicago is among nearly 50 institutions under investigation for alleged racial discrimination related to DEI programs. Namely, the college’s partnership with the PhD Project, a nonprofit that aims to increase diversity in the business world.

The department’s Office for Civil Rights on Friday announced it has begun investigating 45 universities for failing to follow their “civil rights obligations to end the use of racial preferences and stereotypes in education programs and activities.”

“At a time of such political division, Americans need to find common ground,” said Dr. Scott Oakes, who studies the role of cells in diseases at the University of Chicago. “We should all agree that medical research is one of those areas where we can all come together.”

University of Chicago paleontologist and author Neil Shubin has been on multiple expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctica. Those trips have produced groundbreaking discoveries about the evolution of life.

Fears and frustrations linger among university researchers around the country whose research work is now in limbo as President Donald Trump’s administration aims to cut what it deems as “wasteful” federal spending.

In this lab, you can find students working on projects like a smartwatch incorporating muscle stimulation, an augmented headset that expands our perception, or a device to assist individuals in learning the drums.

More than 1,500 people received a “full, complete, and unconditional” pardon from the president last week. The assault on the Capitol — which injured more than 140 police officers — has been one of several displays of political violence in recent years.

Lia Merminga has been the director of Fermilab in suburban Batavia since 2022. FermiForward Discovery Group, the lab’s new management and operations contractor, said in a message to staff it was immediately launching a search for its new director.

If you’ve made it to 2025, make a resolution to take a leap and dive deep into the cultural pool of Chicago. Here are a few ideas to start the year with a splash.

Three scientists who discovered powerful techniques to predict and even design novel proteins — the building blocks of life — were awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry on Wednesday. 

The Fermi Forward Discovery Group will replace the Fermi Research Alliance early next year at the accelerator and detector laboratory in suburban Batavia. The announcement comes following criticism about safety and financial stewardship by the particle physics lab.

The donation will help expand the work of UChicago’s Forum for Free Inquiry and Expression, which launched last year. The forum aims to promote the understanding, practice and advancement of open dialogue at the school and beyond.